Photo via the New Republic It's a widely held notion that politicians have long been in the pocket of Big Oil. And there's good reason for that perception: oil companies' huge campaign donations, vast lobbying power, and close ties to politicians have ensured that their taxes remain low , that hidden subsidies are around to provide extra funding, and that they receive preferential treatment in US energy policy. But there could be a new, ... View original post here: The Next Big Oil: Big Smart Grid?
So there really isn't anything that deep to this image. It's just a (more or less) life-sized blue whale eye. And on the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society site you can educate yourself/be mesmerized/ waste some time for a while staring at it while the entire life-sized animal scrolls across your browser window. Believe me, it's way cooler than you might think:... Read more from the original source: Ever See a Blue Whale Life-Sized on Your Computer? Now You Can
published May 5, 2009 and has No Comments
Architecture is an art, a science and a profession, but it is also a business. Green modern prefab design is a niche of a niche business. That is why I admire Michelle Kaufmann so much; She is a rare example of a good architect who gets green, but she is an equally talented marketer. We have already seen her ...
Read more...published April 7, 2009 and has No Comments
The Best of Green in Design and Architecture What is green design? There are so many answers to that question that it makes it tough to pick the best. Is it green enough? Is it good enough? Where is the balance? Do we go safe or edgy? Old favourites or young up-and-comers? What kind of geographic diversity? We give ...
Read more...published April 6, 2009 and has No Comments
Nick Noyes, Flexahouse, photo by Cesar Rubio After the New York Times wrote about the renewed interest in stock plans, Archinect called it a War on Architects . Michael Cannell picked up the story at Fast Company and asked "Do we need architects? I think they both got it wrong, we need ... Read the rest here: Good Architects Selling ...
Read more...published March 31, 2009 and has No Comments
Image via Heart of Green I love wood buildings, and think wood is one of the greenest building materials around, but only if the forests are managed sustainably. The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) is doing a major ad campaign to convince everyone that "The New Environmentalist" proudly stands in is pyjamas in front of his SFI-built Mcmansion reading his ...
Read more...published March 30, 2009 and has No Comments
I loved John Morefield's wonderful idea of setting up a booth like Lucy in Peanuts , engaging with people to tell them what an architect does, and building a career for himself. He should be a role model for these hard times, another light at the end of the tunnel. He has even turned it into a movement, licencing ...
Read more...published March 19, 2009 and has No Comments
Intershelter An Alaskan company has crossed Bucky Fuller's geodesic dome with walk-in cooler and come up with the Artic Dome [their spelling]. Intershelter's twenty foot diameter dome is built like a boat, with a gelcoat exterior and a core of P2000 insulation , a material that "combines thermal reflective technology with the high insulating properties of a specially formulated ...
Read more...published March 17, 2009 and has No Comments
Henry Gifford, photo by Travis Roozee "Is LEED a Fraud?" is the provocative title of an article on the Fine Homebuilding website by Kevin Ireton. It appears that mechanical designer Henry Gifford thinks it is, and makes a few good points in his paper A Better Way To Rate Green Buildings. ( Read the original here: The Four Sins of LEEDwashing: ...
Read more...published March 11, 2009 and has No Comments
Rammed earth is great stuff. The material is literally dirt cheap, formed like concrete but without the use of CO2 producing cement. It has great thermal mass and acoustics- when your wall is up to two feet thick, nothing gets through it. Martin Rauch is one of the pros- we have shown his rammed earth fireplaces here . He ...
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Save the sea creatures! Handcraft your own natural specimens using these these simple patterns, some yarn and a crochet hook. View post: 8 Enchanting Sea Creatures You Can Crochet
A Finnish designer has made a working surfboard from broken skateboards. Read the original here: Hollow Surfboard Is Made from Broken Skateboards
